CoCoRaHS

CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Vegas Hits Jackpot

I stole that title from the National Weather Service's story, but it's just too good. See below.

...LAS VEGAS HITS THE JACKPOT FOR SNOW IN DECEMBER... AN ALL-TIME RECORD SNOW FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER IN LAS VEGAS WAS SET YESTERDAY DECEMBER 17TH 2008. 3.6 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED AT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE LOCATED ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THIS BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE MOST SNOW EVER IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER IN LAS VEGAS SINCE THE START OF OFFICIAL RECORDS IN 1937 WHICH WAS 2.0 INCHES ON DECEMBER 15TH 1967. THIS IS NOW THE 8TH GREATEST SNOWSTORM EVER IN OFFICIAL LAS VEGAS WEATHER RECORDS FOR ANY MONTH. THE 3.6 INCHES OF SNOW MEASURED YESTERDAY ALSO SET A NEW DAILY RECORD FOR SNOW FOR DECEMBER 17TH BREAKING THE OLD RECORD OF A TRACE SET IN 1992. MEASURABLE SNOW HAS ONLY FALLEN ON 5 INSTANCES SINCE 1937 IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER IN LAS VEGAS COUNTING YESTERDAY...2.0 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED ON DECEMBER 15TH 1967...0.4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL ON DECEMBER 5TH 1972...1.0 INCH OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON DECEMBER 6TH 1998 AND MORE RECENTLY 1.3 INCHES OF SNOW WAS RECORDED ON DECEMBER 30TH 2003. THUS THE 3.6 INCHES OF SNOW THAT FELL YESTERDAY IS THE MOST SNOW TO EVER FALL ON A CALENDER DAY IN DECEMBER IN LAS VEGAS. THE 3.6 INCHES OF SNOW THAT FELL AT LAS VEGAS YESTERDAY WAS THE MOST SNOW TO FALL IN LAS VEGAS FROM A SINGLE STORM SINCE 7.8 INCHES OF SNOW FROM JANUARY 30TH THROUGH FEBRUARY 2ND IN 1979. DECEMBER 2008 WILL NOW RANK AS THE 6TH SNOWIEST MONTH EVER IN LAS VEGAS SINCE 1937. THE SNOWIEST MONTH EVER WAS WAY BACK IN JANUARY 1949 WHEN 16.7 INCHES FELL. THE LAST TIME THIS MUCH SNOW FELL IN ANY MONTH IN LAS VEGAS WAS IN JANUARY 1979 WHEN 9.9 INCHES FELL. SNOWFALL RECORDS IN LAS VEGAS WERE RECORDED AT MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT THROUGH JANUARY 31ST 1996 AND SINCE FEBRUARY 1ST 1996 HAVE BEEN KEPT AT THE NWS OFFICE ON DEAN MARTIN ROAD. IN ADDITION...A DAILY LIQUID PRECIPITATION RECORD WAS SET AT MCCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT YESTERDAY WITH 0.73 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION RECORDED. THIS BROKE THE OLD RECORD OF 0.44 INCHES FOR DECEMBER 17TH SET IN 1940. THIS ADDITIONAL PRECIPTATION BROUGHT THE DECEMBER MONTHLY TOTAL UP TO 1.02 INCHES OF LIQUID. THIS MAKES FOR THE 9TH WETTEST DECEMBER ON RECORD. ALSO...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ON DECEMBER 17TH ONLY REACHED 39 DEGREES. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD OF 43 DEGREES SET IN 1967.

3 comments:

This doesn't have anything to do with your current blog, but I have a question. My weather station has a dew point this morning of -1.5°. Can you have a dew point that is below zero?

I thought the dew point was the temperature in which the moisture in the air would condense (or something like that; I have been out of school a few years). Can it condense when it is below 0 or even below freezing? I don't know, my pea brain can't handle this. :)

I live in Republic, MO and this morning it is 4° with a negative dew point and that's what started me thinking about this.

You're right when you say that the dew point is the temperature at which the moisture condenses. It is possible for the dew point to be in the sub-zero range. In fact, this morning in Yellowknife, Canada, the dew point is -22°! (I love Canada for its fishing, but I'll stick right here in Missouri)

Any sub-freezing dew point temperature will result in condensation of ice crystals.

Dew point can also be an accurate reading of how much moisture is in the atmosphere...the lower the temperature, the lower the moisture content.

Hope this helps. I know you were asking Chris (and I hope he corrects me if I'm wrong), but I wanted to give it a shot. Good to see a fellow Missourian on here.